Pressure sewer control system and method

ABSTRACT

Embodiments relate generally to a pump control system for a pressure sewer installation. The system comprises a controller arranged to control supply of power to a pump of the pressure sewer installation. The controller is arranged to receive an output signal from a sensor in a fluid reservoir of the pressure sewer installation, the output signal being indicative of a measured fluid level in the fluid reservoir. A memory is accessible to the controller and is arranged to store operation information pertaining to operation of the pressure sewer installation. A wireless transceiver is in communication with the controller to allow the controller to communicate with a remote server over a communications network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/676,177, filed Nov. 14, 2012, which is a continuation ofPCT/AU2012/000903, filed 31 Jul. 2012, which claims the benefit ofpriority from Australian patent application no. 2012901005, filed 14Mar. 2012.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Described embodiments generally relate to pressure sewer systems and themonitoring and control of such systems for components, such as pumps, insuch systems. Some embodiments specifically relate to pump controlsystems for pressure sewer installations, while other embodiments relateto systems for monitoring a network of pressure sewer installationsincluding such pump control systems. Further embodiments relate topressure sewer installations or kits therefor that include the pumpcontrol systems.

BACKGROUND

Pressure sewer systems involve the use of a fluid reservoir, such as atank, buried in the ground to receive sewerage from a dwelling orbuilding. Such pressure sewer systems rely on a pump within the fluidreservoir to pump fluid out of the reservoir and into a reticulatedsewer system comprising fluid conduits to transport the sewerage to asuitable processing station. Such pressure sewer systems are generallyinstalled in locations where gravity cannot be adequately relied on asthe impetus for transporting the waste fluid within the sewer network.

The pressure sewer systems rely on proper functioning of the pump incombination with a float switch to avoid the fluid reservoir becomingtoo full and overflowing. Where the pump does not operate properly toevacuate the waste fluid from the fluid reservoir, this can lead to anundesirable overflow and/or leakage of sewerage from the fluidreservoir. This overflow can be a very unpleasant experience for theinhabitants of the dwelling and such inhabitants will commonly contactthe organisation responsible for maintenance of the sewer system inorder to rectify the problem. In such situations, because theorganisation responsible for maintenance of the sewerage system learnsabout the malfunction from the complainants, there can be a delay beforeappropriate personnel can be dispatched to address the problem andbefore an appropriate solution is implemented. Not only do suchsituations result in significant dissatisfaction on the part of theinhabitants that the pressure sewer system is intended to serve, theleakage of the system presents possible public health and safety issuesand reflects badly on the organisation responsible for the system'smaintenance and proper function.

It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more shortcomings of priorpressure sewer systems, or to at least provide a useful alternativethereto.

Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as“comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusionof a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers orsteps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, orgroup of elements, integers or steps.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or thelike which has been included in the present specification is not to betaken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of theprior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant tothe present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of eachclaim of this application.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments relate to a pump control system for a pressure sewerinstallation, the system comprising:

-   -   a controller arranged to control supply of power to a pump of        the pressure sewer installation, wherein the controller is        arranged to receive an output signal from a sensor in a fluid        reservoir of the pressure sewer installation, the output signal        being indicative of a measured fluid level in the fluid        reservoir;    -   a memory accessible to the controller and arranged to store        operation information pertaining to operation of the pressure        sewer installation; and    -   a wireless transceiver in communication with the controller to        allow the controller to communicate with a remote server over a        communications network.

The controller may be configured to control and monitor operation of thepressure sewer installation and to send stored operation information tothe remote server. The operation information may include measured fluidlevel information.

The controller may be configured to compare the fluid level to a fluidlevel threshold stored in the memory of the controller and to cause thepump to operate to pump fluid out of the fluid reservoir when the fluidlevel is greater than or equal to the fluid level threshold.

The controller may be responsive to a command received from the remoteserver to store a changed fluid level threshold in the memory.

The wireless transceiver may be configured to communicate with theremote server using a mobile telephony standard protocol. The controllermay be configured to be controllable remotely by commands received fromthe remote server.

The system may further comprise one or more additional devices and oneor more additional wireless or wired transceivers or receivers incommunication with the controller, to allow the controller tocommunicate with or receive information from the one or more additionaldevices. The one or more additional devices may be flow meters or otherinstruments for the monitoring of a sewerage or water supply network.

The system may be mains powered and may comprise a backup power supplyto power the controller and the wireless transceiver in the absence ofadequate mains power.

The controller may be further configured to receive a float switchoutput signal from a float switch in the fluid reservoir indicative of ahigh fluid level, the controller being configured to operate the pump inresponse to the fluid switch output signal.

Some embodiments relate to a pressure sewer network monitoring system,comprising:

-   -   a plurality of the described pump control systems; and    -   the remote server in communication with the wireless transceiver        of each of the pump control systems;    -   wherein the remote server is configured to monitor operation of        each pressure sewer installation based on messages received from        each pump control system and to affect operation of each pump        control system by transmission of one or more commands from the        remote server to each pump control system.

The system may further comprise a computerised user interface incommunication with the remote server to allow remote user control ofeach pump control system.

The system remote server may be configured to determine an alarmcondition based on the messages received and to automatically transmitone or more alarm messages to one or more user recipients, the one ormore alarm messages including an indication of the alarm condition.

Some embodiments relate to a pressure sewer installation, comprising thedescribed pump control system and further comprising the pump, thesensor and the fluid reservoir.

Some embodiments relate to a kit for a pressure sewer installation, thekit comprising the described pump control system and further comprisingthe pump, the sensor and the fluid reservoir.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are described in further detail below, by way of example,with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a pressure sewer installationhaving a pump control system according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the pump control system;

FIG. 3 is an electrical circuit schematic diagram of the pump controlsystem;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a pressure sewer network monitoringsystem according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is an example user interface display generated by interfacecomponents of the pressure sewer network monitoring system;

FIG. 6 is an example plot of fluid level in a fluid reservoir of onepressure sewer installation over time.

FIG. 7 is a further example user interface display generated byinterface components of the pressure sewer network monitoring system;

FIG. 8 is a further example user interface display generated byinterface components of the pressure sewer network monitoring system;and

FIGS. 9A and 9B are example reports of measured fluid levels in multipleinstallations in different zones.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described embodiments generally relate to pressure sewer systems and themonitoring and control of such systems or components, such as pumps, insuch systems. Some embodiments specifically relate to pump controlsystems for pressure sewer installations, while other embodiments relateto systems for monitoring a network of pressure sewer installationscontaining described pump control systems. Further embodiments relate topressure sewer installations or kits therefor that include the pumpcontrol systems.

Referring in particular to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there is shown a pressuresewer installation 100 comprising a pump control system 110 operating incooperation with a buried sewerage tank 120. The pump control system 110constitutes the above-ground part of installation 100 while the seweragetank 120 constitutes the in-ground part. The sewerage tank 120 has afluid reservoir 122 that is arranged to receive waste water from adomicile or other building 102 via an inlet conduit 126. The fluidreservoir 122 houses a pump 124 therein, with the pump 124 beingarranged to pump fluid out of the reservoir 122 via a fluid outletconduit 128 into a reticulated sewerage network of fluid conduits.

The in-ground components of installation 100 also include a level sensor112 and a float switch 212. The level sensor 112 may be a pressuretransducer, for example, and is in electrical communication with thepump control system 110 via suitable means, such as an electrical cable.The pump 124 operates under the control of pump control system 110, onlyturning on and off in response to the action of a suitable pumpcontactor (relay) 224 that supplies mains power to the pump 124 from amains power supply 248.

The level sensor 112 may be arranged to have the sensing head generallysubmerged below the fluid level in order to obtain a constant accuratemeasure of the fluid level within the fluid reservoir 122 and provide aconstant (or sufficiently regular as to be effectively constant) outputsignal to the pump control system 110. Float switch 212 is provided as ahigh level fail safe, so that when the fluid level in the reservoir 122gets above the shut-off level of the float switch 212, the float switch212 provides a fluid level high signal to pump control system 110, whichcauses pump 124 to begin pumping fluid out of the reservoir 122 (if itwas not already doing so).

Pump control system 110 is the above-ground part of installation 100 andmay be located on a wall or other position for easy access byinhabitants of the domicile 102 or maintenance personnel. Pump controlsystem 110 has a housing 202 that is closed and locked against personsother than authorised personnel. The housing 202 has a visual alarmindicator 203 and an audible alarm 204 to indicate to the inhabitantsthat a fault has occurred or is occurring. A mute button 205 may belocated on an external part of the housing 202 and may be actuated inorder to silence the audible alarm 204.

Pump control system 110 has a controller 208, a wireless transceiverunit 210, a backup power supply, for example in the form of a battery215, a relay 224 to control operation of the pump 124 and an electricalsupply and control block 240. Pump control system 110 may also have oneor more additional wireless or wired transceivers or receivers (notshown). One or more flow meters and/or other instruments (not shown)associated with water, power or other utilities may also form part ofsystem 100 and be in communication with the one or more additionalwireless or wired transceivers or receivers. Controller 208 comprises amemory (not shown) and at least one processor (not shown) configured toexecute program instructions stored in the memory. Also stored in thememory are a number of set points and control parameters for operationof the pump and the wireless transceiver unit 210.

Controller 208 is enabled for two-way communication via transceiver unit210 with a remote server 130 over wireless telecommunicationsinfrastructure, for example using a standard GSM mobile telephonyprotocol. Controller 208 may also be enabled for one- or two-waycommunication with external devices, such as flow meters or otherinstruments (not shown), via additional transceiver or receiver units(if present) over a low power wireless communication protocol, forexample Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11 protocols, or a wired communicationprotocol. In this way, the controller and transceivers/receivers may actas a fully or partly wireless hub to allow communication and/or controlof multiple local instruments or devices associated with system 100. Thetransceiver unit 210 has a transmitting and receiving antenna 211concealed within the housing 202. The housing 202 is formed of asuitable non-conductive material to allow sufficient signal transmissionstrength out of and in to the housing 202.

Controller 208 stores in its memory measured fluid level data when itchanges by a predetermined amount, such as a percentage amount or anumber of millimetres, for example. Similarly, other measured parametersor operational statuses are recorded in the controller's memory whenthey change and time-stamped as of when they occur. This stored data isthen uploaded via the transceiver unit 210 to the server 130periodically, such as every 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 or 24 hours, or on demandfrom the server 130.

The schematic layout and electrical diagrams are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3for the pump control system 110. These two drawings should be read inconjunction with each other in order to understand the physical andelectrical layout of the components of pump control system 110.

Battery 215 provides a backup power source for the controller 208 andtransceiver unit 210 in order to maintain communications capabilitiesduring a loss or substantial drop in power level received from mainspower supply 248. A current sensor 221 and voltage sensing relay 241 arecoupled to the mains power supply 248 via a mains switch 246 in order tosense the input current and voltage. The current sensor 221 and voltagesensing relay 241 provide their outputs to controller 208 so that thecontroller 208 can monitor the input power supply level and ceaseoperation of the pump 124, if necessary. The power supply input block240 also comprises first and second circuit breakers 245 a, 245 b and aDC power supply transformer 242. A fuse 244 is also provided, in case ofspikes in the mains supply. The DC power supply 242 charges the battery215. A 12 VDC control relay 247 is provided to allow the controller 208to control the pump relay 224.

The pump relay 224 is operated in response to control signals fromcontroller 208 when a manual switch is in the auto position. When themanual switch 243 is in the off position, the relay 224 is open and thepump 124 does not receive power. When the manual switch 243 is in themanual position, the relay 224 is closed and the pump receives mainspower independently of control from the controller 208. The relay 224provides mains power to the pump 124 via suitable power cables 225 thatextend into the ground and into the fluid reservoir 122 in a suitablemanner.

Fluid level transducer 112 has its output conductors 213 coupled to aconnection block 214 to which the controller 208 is electricallyconnected. Also coupled to this connection block 214 is the output ofthe float switch 212, so that the controller 208 receives an on or offstatus signal from the float switch 212.

Controller 208 may include or be in the form of a serial communicationand data acquisition (SCADA) unit, which effectively functions as aprogrammable logic controller (PLC). The controller 208 has a suitableserial data connection with transceiver unit 210. The controller 208 maybe or include a suitable DNP3 SCADA pack 100 controller from ControlMicrosystems, for example. Other controllers may be used in the system100 and may employ the DNP3 communications protocol or another suitablecommunications protocol to perform the functions of controller 208described herein.

The transceiver unit 210 may be a NetComm NTC-6908 industrial 3Gcellular network router, for example. The transceiver unit 210 may thusprovide a point-to-point or point-to-multi-point communicationcapability in order to suitably interface with remote server 130. Thetransceiver unit 120 may use a suitable domain name system (DNS)capability so that any subscriber identity module (SIM) in thetransceiver unit 120 can be interchanged with another such SIM.

The digital and analogue inputs and outputs for the controller 208 aregenerally as follows:

Controller Binary Inputs:

BI-1: Emergency High Level Float Switch;

BI-2 Site Mains Power Failed Alarm;

BI-3: Pump Run Command State.

Controller Binary Outputs:

BO-1: Pump Inhibit signal from controller 208.

Controller Analogue Inputs:

AI-1: Well Level from level sensor 112;

AI-2: Pump Current;

AI-3: Pump Start Level SP (status);

AI-3: Pump Stop Level SP (status).

Controller Analogue Outputs:

AO-1: Pump Start Level SP (from server 130);

AO-2: Pump Stop Level SP (from server 130).

The operation of the controller 208 may be further characterised in thefollowing terms:

Operation

The pump 124 runs if the sensed level of fluid in the tank 122 is at orabove the Pump Start Level set-point and stops if the sensed fluid levelin the tank 122 reaches or falls below the Pump Stop Level set-point.The Pump Start Level set-point (AO-1) and the Pump Stop Level set-point(AO-2) are not physical outputs of controller 208—rather, they are bothset using a software configuration tool 430 executing on (or served by)the server 130 and accessible to authorised users via a suitablecomputerised user interface hosted by server 130. The user interfaceexperienced by users of client devices 420, 425 may be provided by abrowser application 440 executing on one or more of the client computingdevices 420, 425 in system 400, for example. Once selected, the PumpStart Level set-point and the Pump Stop Level set-point are stored indata store 140 and transmitted by server 130 to the transceiver unit 210and controller 208 of each installation 100 to which the selectedset-points apply.

A high level analogue set point may also be included in order to startthe pump 124 and set alarms if the sensed fluid level is at a pointabove a normal start level. If the Float/Emergency High Level signal(BI-1) is active, then the pump 124 will be forced to run until thesignal input goes low for a pre-set time (set via the user interfaceaccessible via client computing devices 420, 425). The controller 208can disable the pump 124 for a set time (default 8 hours).

Controller 208 may be receive and respond to a command from theconfiguration tool 430 to adjust the Start Level set-point to run thepump 124 between the Start Level set-point and Hi Level set-point untila specified time (in a flush mode), so that a greater-than-normal fluidvolume may be flushed from the reservoir 120.

Digital Inputs

Float/Emergency High Level

Power Status OK (from voltage monitor relay)

High Pressure input

Alarm Mute Push Button

Analogue Inputs

Level Probe (4-20 ma)

Pump Amps-CT (4-20 ma)

Digital Outputs

Motor Run (to motor contactor)

Alarm Horn (Horn to auto mute after 5 min)

Alarm Lamp (different flash depending on alarm)

Strobe flasher (on until alarms clear)

SCADA Display (Provided by User Interface on Client Devices 420, 425)

Pump Runs

Pump Fails

Pump Running Current

Level

All alarms

All Set points

Force off Time set-point

Alarms (Alarms Clear on PLC Power Cycle—or Condition Cleared)

Lamp Action Alarm Lamp double flash Pump Failure

If a high current is detected for a set time period, stop the pump for10 min. If a pump stops 10 times (or another configurable number) in arow, lock out the pump. The pump alarm continues to operate.

Lamp Action Alarm Lamp triple flash Pump High Pressure

If a high pressure is detected for a set time, stop the pump for 10 min.If a pump stops 10 times in a row, lock out the pump.

Lamp Action Alarm Lamp on Emergency High Level

On detection of a high float condition tripping the float switch,activate the Lamp/Horn and notify the server 130, which displays thecondition via the user interface 430.

Generally, the lamp strobe and horn activate after a pre-set time delayfrom the alarm occurrence and an exception report is sent to the remoteserver 130 after a separate (shorter) time value. The time differencebetween the strobe and horn activation and the exception reporttransmission may be up to 18 hours. This allows remote diagnostics to berun and allows the responsible utility organisation time to assess andrectify the apparent problem before the resident is notified of theproblem by activation of the alarm.

Set Points

Pump Stop Level

Pump Start Level

Pump High Level

Pump High Amps

Pump No run/Low Amps

Pump Run to Long Time

Pump Emergency High Level Run on timer

Pump Disable Timer

Referring now to FIG. 4, a pressure sewer monitoring system 400comprising multiple installations 100 is described in further detail.Pressure sewer monitoring system 400 comprises multiple installations100 located in different geographic locations across one or moresewerage network zones. The multiple installations 100 may be part of asingle zone within a larger sewerage network or may be spread acrossdifferent zones and/or different networks. By way of example only, eachzone may have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, tenor more installations 100 located at different positions within thezone. Further, there may be more than ten, for example between ten andpossibly hundreds of such installations 100 within a particular seweragezone and/or network. By way of example, FIG. 8 illustrates six separatezones (indicated by references 812 a, 812 b, 812 c, 812 d, 812 e and 812f), located within part of a larger service zone 810 and viewable inrelation to a map display 800 on a client device. Each zone 812 has oneor more installations 100 located therein.

Fluid monitoring system 400 further comprises one or more servers orserver systems, referred to herein for convenience as server 130, atleast one wired client device 420 and/or at least one mobile clientdevice 425 and a data store 140. Server 130 is arranged to receive datafrom installations 100 representative of the sensed conditions of thepump 124 and/or fluid level in the fluid reservoir 122 at variousdifferent locations. This data is received over a data networkcomprising suitable communications infrastructure (not shown) that is atleast partially wireless, such as a cellular network. For example, thetransceiver units 210 of installations 100 may be configured to transmitdata to server 130 using the GSM or GPRS/3G standards for mobiletelephony or their technological successors. Alternatively, lower power,shorter distance wireless communication techniques may be employed, forexample where a local wireless data hub is in sufficient proximity tosupport wireless communication with the transceiver unit 210 within anearby installation 100. In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 210may act as a local wireless data hub for other devices, such as meteringor sensing instruments, in the immediate vicinity of system 100.

Server 130 processes the data received from transceiver units 210 andstores it in data store 140 for subsequent retrieval as needed. Datastore 140 may comprise any suitable data store, such as a local,external, distributed or discrete database. If the data received atserver 130 from installations 100 indicates an alarm condition in anyone or more of installations 100, server 130 accesses data store 140 todetermine a pre-determined appropriate action to be taken in relation tothe specific alarm condition, and then takes the appropriate action. Theaction to be taken may vary, depending on the installation 100, forexample where some installations 100 may play a more critical monitoringrole than others. Such actions may include, for example, sending one ormore notifications, for example in the form of text messages and/oremails, to one or more of client devices 420, 425.

Regardless of whether an alarm condition is indicated by the datareceived at server 130 from installations 100, that data is processedand stored in data store 140 for later retrieval by a server processand/or at a request from a client device 420, 425. For example, server130 may execute processes (based on program code stored in data store140 or a memory local to the server 130, for example), to performtrending and reporting functions to one or more client devices 420, 425.For example, server 130 may provide to a client device 420 informationto enable generation of a display 500, 600, 700 or 800 (FIG. 5, 6, 7 or8 respectively) via browser application 440 at client device 420 or 425in response to a request for such information or automatically atregular intervals. Display 500 may chart historical and current data forone or more conditions of operation of the pressure server installations100 at different locations over a period of time. For example, as shownin FIG. 5, display 500 may include a chart 540 of fluid levels at aparticular pressure sewer installation 100 over a period of time, aswell as displaying status information 530 for a number of operationalparameters of the installation 100.

Server 130 executes a user interface 430 based on locally accessiblestored program code to allow users of client devices 420, 425 to accessconfiguration, control, monitoring and reporting functions of server 130with respect to installations 100. The user interface 430 thus acts as acontrol and configuration tool accessible to users of client devices420, 425. The user interface, control and configuration functions ofuser interface 430 are primarily performed by server 130, but somefunctions may be executed in part by the browser application 440 onclient devices 420, 425 based on code, including applets for example,served to the respective client devices 420, 425 from server 130.

In alternative embodiments, instead of browser application 440, eachclient device 420, 425 may execute a specialised software applicationstored in local memory accessible to the processor of the device. Thisspecialised application may perform various user interface functionslocally and communicate with the server 130 as necessary. For example,for mobile client computing devices 425, the specialised application maybe in the form of a “smart phone” application.

Displays 500, 600, 700 and 800 shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8,respectively, may be generated at client device 420, 425 by a suitablesoftware application executing on the client device 420, 425, such asbrowser application 440 when executed by a processor of the clientdevice 420, 425 according to program code stored in the local storageaccessible to that processor.

In preferred embodiments, transceiver unit 120 is enabled forbidirectional communication with server 130, so that new fluid levelthresholds can be set, control commands can be issued, firmware updatescan be received and/or diagnostic monitoring and testing can beperformed remotely.

Pressure sewer monitoring system 400 thus comprises a series ofinstallations 100 located around an area or zone for which operationalstatus is desired to be monitored. These installations 100 communicatewith server 130, which in turn communicates with client devices 420, 425as necessary. Server 130 also tracks and stores historical data receivedfrom the installations 100 and processes the incoming and historicaldata according to rules stored in data store 140 to determine whethercertain pre-defined events of interest may be occurring. Such events maybe complex events and may be defined in the stored rules as such. Inorder to optimally manage a particular sewerage zone or zones, forexample in flood situations system 400 may control installations 100 tocease normal autonomous operation for a period of time or to operateunder a higher level set-point.

In system 400, each installation 100 may be configured to have the sameor a similar set of operational parameters (i.e. alarm levels, sensorsampling times, reporting intervals, etc.) and may have the same set ofsensors 112, 212 and general configuration.

In some embodiments of system 400, the transceiver unit 210 of eachinstallation may be configured to send a message directly to a mobilecommunication device of an end user (i.e. client device 420, 425) whenan alarm condition is determined by controller 208. This may be insteadof or in addition to sending the message to the server 130.

Advantages of the described embodiments over prior pressure sewersystems include a substantially improved remote control and monitoringcapability. This is further supported by use of a mobile telephonystandard protocol to facilitate point-to-point or point-to-multi-pointcommunication between the server 130 and the controller 208 of each pumpcontrol system 110. There are also substantial advantages in providingthe level sensor output from each level sensor 112 to the remote server130 on a regular basis, to allow monitoring and optimised usage ofsewage network infrastructure when a number of installations 100 aremonitored and controlled separately or together as part of the samepressure sewer system 400. For example, usage histograms, such as thoseillustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B can be obtained for different zones.

The described embodiments allow calculation of real time waste fluidvolumes, which provides accurate engineering data for planning anddesign purposes. Described embodiments also allow real time calculatedwaste fluid flow monitoring, which can be used with remote control ofthe pumps 124 by commands from server 130 to manage peak flowsdischarged into sewer mains and treatment facilities. This can moreevenly distribute the waste fluid flows over time, which can ease theburden on the processing infrastructure and reduce the risk of breakdownof the infrastructure.

Further advantages associated with described embodiments include theability to infer the likelihood of leakage from one or moreinstallations 100. For example, for a given installation, 100, thenumber of level changes during a particular period, such as the timebetween 2.00 a.m. and 3.00 a.m., together with a measure of the amountof level change over time (such as millimetres per minute) can indicatethe likelihood of a leak at the site of the installation 100. A steadyrise in the fluid level during that period over a number of days canindicate a small leak. Maintenance personnel can therefore be dispatchedto the site to investigate before the leakage becomes a significantproblem. The described embodiments therefore allow organisations, suchas those responsible for maintenance of the pressure sewer network, toidentify and address problems with one or more installations 100 beforethey develop into a complaint by the inhabitant of the domicile 102.

Referring in particular to FIG. 5, the system 400 comprisescapabilities, including suitable software and hardware modules, toexecute user interface 430, which allows operational maintenancepersonnel to monitor and remotely control the operation of eachinstallation 100. Display 500 in FIG. 5 is an example of a userinterface display generated by browser application 440 based on programcode and/or data served from server 130. Display 500 has a graphicaldepiction 510 of the fluid reservoir 122 of a particular installationnamed LPS 00013. Also shown in the graphical representation 510 is thepump 124, together with an indication of the upper fluid level thresholdor set-point (for example, 400 mm) at which the pump 124 will beoperated in order to pump fluid from the fluid reservoir 122. That upperfluid level threshold may be reconfigured using the user interface 430and suitable software control actions, for example selected from thecontrol options list 520 presented via browser application 440.Similarly, a lower level threshold, shown in this case as 100 mm, may bethe level at which the pump 124 is caused to stop running. The controloptions list 520 may allow the operational personnel to remotely takecontrol or release control of the pump 124 by issuing commands to theassociated controller 208. Further, status information is provided in astatus display 530 of the user interface. This status information may bereconfigured where permissible, for example in order to change anoperational mode of the pump or change one or more of the set points.

Display 500 in FIG. 5 also has a sub-display 540 of a fluid level plotover time, indicating the increasing fluid level up to the point whereit reaches the upper fluid level threshold, after which the pumpdecreases the fluid level in a short period back down to the minimum(lower level threshold). This plot 540 can also indicate the currentdrawn by the pump 124 over time, in order to verify that the highcurrent consumption periods of the pump 124 correlate with the decreasesin the fluid level due to pump operation. This plot 540 is shown infurther (magnified) detail in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 illustrates a further display 700 of the user interface,including a list 710 of multiple sites of installations 100, from whicha particular installation 100 of interest may be selected for furtherdetailed analysis or control. In the user interface illustrated in FIG.7, certain selectable control functions 720 are illustrated. Forexample, the operational personnel can force the immediate data pollingby server 130 of the controller 208 of a particular installation 100(rather than wait the normal 24 polling period), in order to have thatcontroller 208 upload all of the recorded data accumulated and stored inits memory since the last upload. Further, selectable options areprovided to inhibit operation of the pump 124 or the pump controlfunctions of the controller 208. Further, the user interface (presentedvia browser application 440) shown in FIG. 7 allows new installations tobe added to the live network from a list 732 as they become installed.Additionally, a list 740 of sites at which installation is pending maybe provided. Control buttons 735 are provided to allow editing of thelist 732 and control buttons 745 are provided to allow editing of thelist 740. Further reports and displays may be selectable, such as theability to view the history of all power failures of the installations100.

As is evident from the user interface shown in FIG. 7, the server 130maintains comprehensive data records of each installation 100 in thedata store 140, together with historical operational data for each suchinstallation. The length of time of the historical data may beconfigured depending on how much data storage is available and/or howmuch historical data is deemed to be useful in accomplishing thenecessary monitoring and control functions. The stored historical datamay be periodically condensed, as necessary, in order to avoid storinghistorically irrelevant information.

Embodiments have been described herein by way of example, with referenceto various possible features and functions. Such embodiments areintended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. It should beunderstood that embodiments include various combinations andsub-combinations of features described herein, even if such features arenot explicitly described in such a combination or sub-combination.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A pressure sewer network monitoring andcontrol system, comprising: a remote server in communication with atleast one pump control system provided at a respective at least onepressure sewer installation comprising at least one fluid reservoir,wherein the remote server is configured to: monitor operation of the atleast one pressure sewer installation based on messages received fromthe at least one pump control system; determine a changed fluid levelthreshold for the at least one fluid reservoir of the at least one pumpcontrol system based on the messages, wherein the messages compriseinformation indicative of a measured fluid level in the at least onefluid reservoir of the respective at least one pressure sewerinstallation; and remotely control operation of the at least one pumpcontrol system by transmitting one or more commands to the at least onepump control system, wherein at least one of the one or more commandscomprises the changed fluid level threshold and is effective to cause acontroller of the at least one pump control system to store the changedfluid level threshold in a memory of the at least one pump controlsystem.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote server is incommunication with at least one wireless transceiver of the at least onepump control system.
 3. The system of claim 1, further comprising acomputerised user interface in communication with the remote server toallow remote user control of the at least one pump control system. 4.The system of claim 1, wherein the remote server is configured todetermine an alarm condition based on the messages received from the atleast one pump control system and to automatically transmit one or morealarm messages to one or more user recipients, the one or more alarmmessages including an indication of the alarm condition.
 5. The systemof claim 1, wherein the messages further comprise information indicativeof a sensed condition of a pump associated with the at least one pumpcontrol system.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the changed fluidlevel threshold is associated with a period of time.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the remote server is configured to store historicaloperational data for each of the at least one pressure sewerinstallations in a data store.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein theremote server is configured to process the messages and historicaloperational data associated with the at least one pressure sewerinstallation according to rules stored in a data store to determinewhether pre-defined events of interest may be occurring.
 9. The systemof claim 1, wherein the remote server is configured to process themessages received from the at least one pump control system to performtrend analysis or to pre-emptively diagnose problems with one or morepressure sewer installations.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein theremote server is configured to determine a presence of a leak at apressure sewer installation in response to determining from the messagesthat a rate of change of fluid level in the at least one fluid reservoirexceeds a leakage threshold value.
 11. The system of claim 1, whereinthe one or more commands comprise instructions to set operationalparameter values for at least one of fluid level thresholds, alarmlevels, sensor sampling levels and reporting intervals.
 12. The systemof claim 1, wherein the one or more commands comprise instructions toinhibit at least one of operations of a pump of the at least one pumpcontrol system and pump control functions of a controller of the atleast one pump control system.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein theremote server is configured to transmit the one or more commands to theat least one pump control system to cause the at least one pump controlsystem to cease normal autonomous operation for a period of time inresponse to the remote server determining that a flood situation may beoccurring at the at least one pressure sewer installation.
 14. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the remote server is configured to transmitone or more commands to the at least one pump control system to causethe at least one pump control system to operate under a relativelyhigher level set-point in response to the remote server determining thata flood situation may be occurring at the at least one pressure sewerinstallations.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote server isconfigured to determine commands for another pump control system of arespective pressure sewer installation in a region based on additionalmessages received from the at least one pump control system of the atleast one respective pressure sewer installation provided in the regionto optimise usage of sewage network infrastructure within the region.16. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote server is configured tocalculate real time waste fluid volumes based on the messages receivedfrom the at least one pump control system to determine data forengineering, planning or design purposes.
 17. The system of claim 1,wherein each of the at least one pump control systems corresponds to arespective pressure sewer installation within a region, and the remoteserver is configured to process additional messages received from aplurality of the at least one pump control systems to calculate realtime waste fluid flows in sewage network infrastructure within theregion and to manage peak flows in the sewage network infrastructure bydetermining the commands for the pump control systems of the respectivepressure sewer installations based on the real time calculated wastefluid flows.
 18. A method of monitoring and controlling operation of apressure sewer network, the method operable in a remote server incommunication with at least one pump control system provided at arespective at least one pressure sewer installation comprising at leastone fluid reservoir, the method comprising: receiving messages from theat least one pump control system over a communications network;monitoring operation of the at least one pressure sewer installationbased on the messages; determining a changed fluid level threshold forthe at least one fluid reservoir of the at least one pump control systembased on the messages, wherein the messages comprise informationindicative of a measured fluid level in the at least one fluid reservoirof the respective at least one pressure sewer installation; and remotelycontrolling operation of the at least one pump control system bytransmitting one or more commands to the at least one pump controlsystem, wherein at least one of the one or more commands comprises thechanged fluid level threshold and is effective to cause a controller ofthe at least one pump control system to store the changed fluid levelthreshold in a memory of the at least one pump control system.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the remote server is in communication with awireless transceiver of the at least one pump control system, andwherein the communications network comprises a wireless communicationsnetwork.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the changed fluid levelthreshold is associated with a time period.
 21. The method of claim 18,further comprising processing the messages and historical operationaldata associated with the respective at least one pressure sewerinstallation according to rules stored in a data store to determinewhether pre-defined events of interest may be occurring.
 22. The methodof claim 18, further comprising processing the messages received fromthe at least one pump control system to perform trend analysis orpre-emptively diagnose problems with the at least one respectivepressure sewer installation.
 23. The method of claim 21, comprisingdetermining a presence of a leak at the at least one pressure sewerinstallation in response to determining from messages received from theat least one pump control system of the respective at least one pressuresewer installation that a rate of change of fluid level in the at leastone fluid reservoir exceeds a leakage threshold value.
 24. The method ofclaim 18, wherein transmitting one or more commands comprisestransmitting one or more commands to the at least one pump controlsystem to cause the at least one pump control system to cease normalautonomous operation for a period of time in response to the serverdetermining that a flood situation may be occurring at the at least onepressure sewer installations.
 25. The method of claim 18, whereintransmitting one or more commands comprises transmitting one or morecommands to the at least one pump control system to cause the at leastone pump control system to operate at a relatively higher start levelset-point in response to the remote server determining that a floodsituation may be occurring at the at least one pressure sewerinstallations.
 26. The method of claim 18, wherein transmitting one ormore commands comprises transmitting one or more commands to the atleast one pump control system to cause the at least one pump controlsystem to operate at a relatively higher start level set-point for aspecified period of time.
 27. The method of claim 26, further comprisingtransmitting commands to the at least one pump control systems to causethe at least one pump control system to operate to pump fluid out of theat least one fluid reservoir once the specified period of time haselapsed.
 28. The method of claim 18, further comprising processingmessages received from a plurality of the at least one pump controlsystems of the respective at least one pressure sewer installationswithin a region to calculate real time waste fluid flows in sewagenetwork infrastructure within the region and determining the commandsfor a plurality of at least one pump control systems of the respectiveat least one pressure sewer installations within the region based on thereal time calculated waste fluid flows to manage peak flows in thesewage network infrastructure.